The Call to Harmony

by AppleBandit

Chapter III: Fall of the Empire

THE CALL TO HARMONY

PART III

The Crystal Tower shimmered in the morning sun as light stretched out along the kingdom. The crystal ponies began their daily routines as Princess Cadence moved to the balcony of the Crystal Tower. Her sleepy eyes looked over the kingdom as a smile passed over her face. Behind her she could hear the falling of hoof-steps and a small steaming mug coming out in front of her. Taking it with her magic, she was joined by Shining Armor who took a sip from his own cup.

"We've got a busy day ahead of us," Shining Armor said, placing a hoof on his wife's shoulder.

"Yes, we have so many preparations to make," Cadence stated, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and taking a drink. "Do you think it's possible though? An attack here?"

"I'm not one to question Princess Celestia," Shining replied as he stretched himself out.

"Yes, but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Cadence said as she leaned against him. "Twilight and her friends are more than capable to take care of this before it becomes a problem."

Shining Armor smiled a bit and nodded, nuzzling Cadence before she turned back towards the throne room of the Crystal Tower. Shining Armor stayed on the balcony overlooking the kingdom, watching below as the crystal ponies began to flood the town square. He sipped at his tea once more before turning towards the throne room himself and looking to Cadence as she climbed up to her throne to prepare for the morning's delegations.

"Hey, I think I may go down into town and walk around a bit," he said, setting the tea down on a nearby table.

"Why's that?" Cadence asked, a confused look on her face.

"With all this doom and gloom approaching, it might be a good idea to show the crystal ponies that we're still around and they have nothing to worry about."

"I can come with you," Cadence said, seeming uncomfortable with the thought.

"You've got a lot to do," Shining Armor said as he climbed up the stairs to the throne and kissed Cadence on the cheek. "I won't be gone long anyway, you take care of business."

Cadence reluctantly nodded and kissed him on the cheek as well. "Okay, but not too long. I'd feel better with you near me anyway."

"Not too long, I promise."

Shining Armor stepped down from the throne room and moved to the chamber doors of the throne room. Cadence sighed a bit as she watched him leave, unable to quell the uneasy feeling she felt deep inside.

From the Crystal Palace, Shining Armor found himself passing the Crystal Heart and heading to the plaza where most of the crystal ponies gathered. At first they hadn't noticed him, but it only took one to have the whole plaza suddenly bowing to him as he approached. Shaking his head, he waved his hooves around and smiled.

"Come on now, there's no need for this," he said trying to get them to rise again. "Just think of me as one of you!"

"Your highness," a blue coated pony spoke up from the crowd. "Is it true what we've heard? We're in danger again?"

Shining Armor winced a bit. He wasn't certain where they could've heard the rumor from. He was certain that there had been no one else informed than himself and Princess Cadence. His mouth hung open, trying to think of what to say. The crystal ponies gathered around him with expecting eyes before he cleared his throat.

"While it's true there is something out there trying to return, I can assure you that it's being taken care of and there's absolutely no cause for alarm," he stated confidently, giving them a big smile. The crowd seemed to buy it, muttering to themselves and nodding.

"Rest assured though," Shining Armor continued. "You're all safe. Our new palace guards are on watch day and night to make certain we're protected from any threat that may appear in our kingdom."

The crowd looked to one another again as Shining Armor's concern began to show. Their eyes turned back to him as he put his brave face back on. The crowd, to him, seemed convinced but he could still feel the twinge of uncertainty. The crowd began to talk amongst themselves as Shining Armor slowly but surely skulked away. As he wandered the street, he felt himself suddenly carried by the sweet smell of fresh baked goods. His spirits lifted again, following his nose to a bakery that had the door opened.

Stepping inside, he saw a pony inside wearing what looked to be a chef's hat and an apron. He moved from the counter to the kitchen, depositing cupcakes and fresh pastries behind a glass window. With a smile, the pony took note of Shining Armor and beckoned him further inside.

"Please, my dear prince, come in why don't you?" he said as he placed a pan behind the counter and moved towards the kitchen again.

Shining Armor stepped in looking around curiously. "Did you just open? I always thought this was a general store."

The pony halted suddenly, eyes widening before turning and smiling. "No no, you must be mistaken. I have been here for quite a while."

"Why don't I remember this place?" Shining Armor asked, scratching his head with his hoof. The pony zipped to his side and placed a hoof on Shining's back with a smile.

"You must be tired, my prince, we have been here for some time," the pony said again trying to push him into the shop. "Now please, come in, sample some of my goods, yes?"

Shining Armor stepped in, still looking around curiously. Unable to shake the unease he felt. The shelves around him he could have sworn were covered with things other than tasty treats and baking supplies. From the kitchen he heard a hissing noise followed by a clattering. Angry growls followed as he canted his head to one side and cleared his throat.

"Is everything okay in there?" he asked reluctantly before the pony shot his head back through the swinging door of the kitchen.

"Oh yes, my prince, everything is fine," the pony said as more pans and metal objects sounded like they had fallen. "Please excuse me for one moment."

More angry sounds flooded in from the kitchen before the pony stepped back out with a tray in his mouth. Upon the tray was a slice of cake which was then set upon a table in the main area of the bakery. The pony backed away and presented it to Shining Armor with a large smile on his face. The cake looked delicious and moist with white frosting running through red velvet. The white-topped treat smelled amazing as well, filling Shining Armor's senses as he moved towards it.

"Is this for me?" he asked, looking to the pony.

"Yes, my prince, it is our latest creation we made especially for you and your princess," the pony said, looking as though he were trying to stifle laughter. "We would like you to taste it and see how you like it."

"I'm sure it will be delicious," Shining Armor said with a smile. "But I'm not hungry at the moment."

The pony's face went long as Shining Armor turned to leave. His mouth hung open in panic before suddenly he flopped onto the ground and began bawling. His hooves hit the ground in a tantrum and his tears flooded the ground.

"Oh please, my prince!" he shouted as some of the crystal ponies outside stopped and stared into the shop. "My wife, she says I'm no good on my own! I just wanted to prove her wrong! Please taste it! Oh please! This might be my only chance!"

Shining Armor looked between the outside world and the pony that was flailing on the ground in tears. Gritting his teeth a bit, he trotted towards the cake and nodded.

"All right, please, stop," he said taking the fork into the air with his magic. The pony quickly got up from the ground and leaned forward in excitement. His eyes followed the fork as it tore into the cake and a piece was extracted. His legs trembled as the fork made its way to Shining Armor's mouth and he squealed in delight as Shining placed it in his mouth and began to chew. Shining looked at him strangely but couldn't deny that the morsel in his mouth was very good.

"You get really excited when people try your stuff don't you?" Shining Armor asked with a slight smile.

"Oh yes, especially when it's our special customers such as yourself and the others," the baker hissed a bit with a sneer.

Shining Armor furrowed his brow, trying to think of what he could mean by the others. The door slammed shut behind him suddenly causing him to turn. Just as he did, however, the world began to spin. Every colour around him looked as though it were draining away as he collapsed onto his back. Wide eyed, he looked around, trembling and sweating before the baker's face appeared above him. An evil grin crawled over it before the face began to mutate.

Shining blinked and cried out, trying to reason out what was happening to him. The distorted, horrifying face that morphed and sagged in odd areas filled him with terror he'd never felt before. He blocked the sight with his hooves, trying not to look at it. The creature inched it's face towards him as a deep, growling voice came.

"What's the matter, my prince?" it asked before it was joined by horrid black figures with deformed faces. "Did I use too much sugar?"

Shining Armor felt everything going dark as twisted laughter filled his ears. His body felt like it was sliding away down an icy slope. Everything was distant suddenly spiraling into an expansive darkness that swallowed him.

Shining Armor could swear he heard voices as the world around him became fuzzy and green. Blinking his eyes, he groaned and tried to raise up, only to find his head meeting a rather sturdy surface. Grunting, he fell back and put his hooves to his head, the sharp pain waking him up. Focusing, he could see green solid walls surrounding him. Before him was a dingy see-through surface through which he saw green pods and two changelings in what looked to be a basement.

Snorting, he backed up as far as he could and rammed his side into his prison, but found it wouldn't budge. The sound, however, did alert the two changelings who were standing nearby. Sneering, they moved to his cocoon and began to tap on the transparent window. He could hear their muffled laughter as they mocked him. The two took to making faces and laughing, their taunting only enraging Shining Armor further.

"What's the matter, your highness?" the one on the left asked. "Why the long face?"

The two burst into laughter as Shining Armor knitted his brow and grit his teeth.

"Yeah, why the long face?" the one on the right asked, laughing harder than he honestly should have, despite the incredulous look he received from the other changeling.

"You better get comfortable, your highness," the changeling on the left said, interrupting the laughter of his friend. "You're gonna be in here till Queen Chrysalis gets here. She's told us to make sure you stay nice and cozy."

"Yeah, cozy!" the one on the right said before containing laughter. The other changeling huffed and jabbed him, nodding towards a door at the far end of the room. The two slinked out of the basement and shut the door behind them, leaving Shining Armor to continue trying to bash the cocoon apart. He sank back after a few hard smacks and began to examine the pod a bit in the dim light.

His thoughts turned to Cadence and wondering just what was happening outside. Had the invasion all ready begun? Was his wife okay? All of these thoughts flooded in all at once, spurring him on to try again at the cocoon wall. His shoulder and side ached from slamming into the solid surface, but it only cemented his resolve. Focusing on the pain he continued to ram until suddenly a crack filled the chamber. He hit it again, another crack. The third and final crack sent him spiraling onto the stone floor of the basement.

Grunting, he got to his hooves and looked about the basement at the other pods. Inside were other ponies who had been taken and presumably replaced by changelings. They all seemed to stir from the commotion as he placed a hoof to his mouth to silence them.

"Don't worry, you'll be safe here," he said in a hushed tone. "I'll be back to get all of you out shortly, just hang tight for me, okay?"

The group all nodded as Shining Armor snuck slowly towards the door and pressed his ear against it. He could hear voices, the two changelings that had previously been mocking him. His eyes narrowed as he tried to make out the conversation.

"I heard they got the tower all nice and buttoned up," the first voice said. "They can't seem to get into that throne room though, heard the princess is all nice and feisty."

Snickering came from the other changeling as Shining Armor backed slowly from the door and lowered his head. His hoof dug into the ground a little before he launched himself towards the door.

It came tumbling down on both the changelings who yelped in surprise from the weight of it hitting them. Shining Armor stood upon it giving a huff before leaping down. He took note he was inside the back room of the general store which had been dressed up to be a bakery. He knew he hadn't been going crazy. Gritting his teeth, he quickly made his way to one of the windows and took a peak outside.

Changelings were flying about outside. The horrid green cocoons stood around where they had nabbed some of the ponies and where they sealed some of the doors to their homes and shops shut. His eyes turned to the Crystal Tower, though all he could see were the entrances being guarded by changelings. His resolve had carried him this far, it would have to carry him further. He would get to the throne room even if it meant taking on the entire changeling army.

Shining Armor took another peek out of the door and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to envision the route in his mind. His eyes shot open suddenly as he charged out of the shop and into the street. Changelings from all over watched as he made his run. At first they stared as the white coated stallion made his charge towards the tower in awe. Even the guards at the entrance were stunned, trying to figure out what exactly they should do. In their panic, they clutched one another as Shining Armor charged through them and rammed into the doors.

As they gave way, he staggered a little but didn't stop galloping. His mind focused on only one thing. His wife. He snorted as he continued to make his valiant run, changelings that had been in the palace stunned to hear the thunderous hooves charging their way. He cleared a path straight through them, knocking them into walls and through windows. The sting in his body only spurred him onward.

He came to a halt, hooves digging into the carpet below as he got to the throne room door. He slammed his hooves onto the door and stood on his hind legs, trying to catch his breath.

"Cadence!" he cried out through heavy breaths. "It's Shining Armor! Please tell me you're okay!"

He could hear muttering behind the door.

"Shining, is that really you?" the soft voice of Cadence came.

"Oh thank Celestia!" he was near to tears, thankful to hear her voice again.

"Shining, I need to know it's really you, please," her voice came, sounding shaky. Shining Armor was taken aback by the statement but as he brought himself back down on his hooves, he turned his eyes to the ground.

"Do...Do you remember the night I proposed?" he asked with a bit of a smile as he pressed himself against the door again. "I had just graduated and I saw you at the ceremony. I had always had my eye on you. We took a long walk and I told you everything, how I used to think about you while you were watching Twily. Then I told you I wanted us to be married, to live our lives happily together and that I'd protect you."

"Then I called you silly," Cadence said as the door opened. "I'd call you silly again in a heartbeat too."

Shining Armor quickly took Cadence into his hooves as the two nuzzled one another. The moment was brief, however, as Cadence and Shining Armor both retreated into the throne room, the doors shut by the guards around them. There were only a handful of them who stood by the door diligently. Shining Armor looked to them and frowned before looking back to Cadence.

"What happened to all of them?" he asked as Cadence lowered her head.

"Some of them were changelings," she answered, flopping down onto her stomach. "They charged in and tried to get me to leave, but when it didn't work they tried to cocoon me. That's when the rest of the guards came in just in time to rescue me. What happened?"

"I don't know, I was in a shop some changelings had converted into a bakery to get me to eat some poison cake. When I woke up, I was in a cocoon. I managed to break free but they've got our subjects trapped in those things."

Cadence stared at the ground as her brow knitted tightly. Shining could see the strain the news was putting her under. All he could do was set a hoof on her back in comfort.

"This is all my fault," Cadence muttered.

"No it's not," Shining replied, still trying to comfort her.

"I should have put up a barrier, evacuated the citizens, anything," she said as her head lowered. "Instead I sat here."

"Now is not the time for this, Cadence," Shining Armor firmly said as Cadence looked up at him worriedly. "We can think about what we should have done later. We need to figure out what we're going to do now."

She stared into his eyes for a few moments before getting to her hooves and nodding. "You're right, we have to make sure the crystal heart is safe."

A smile formed on Shining Armor's face as he nodded and moved towards the guards. "You're all going to come with us. We are going to make sure nothing happens to the crystal heart. Nothing, and I mean nothing gets near it, is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" they shouted in unison.

With that, the doors were opened once more and the group moved out into the hallway. They traveled close to one another, the entourage of guards surrounding Shining and Cadence. The path was still cleared from Shining Armor's previous charge into the castle. Holes filled the walls to which Shining simply cleared his throat, seeing Cadence clearly staring at them.

Their deliberate pace soon found them in the courtyard. The crystal heart still stayed floating between the plinths. A sigh of relief came from Cadence as she took note of the lack of changelings around. The guards soon surrounded the pair as one of them turned his head back to Shining and Cadence.

"Your highness, you must protect yourselves," he said sternly. "You must place a bubble around yourselves and the crystal heart!"

"What about you?" Cadence asked, stepping forward a bit. The guard turned his head and looked out towards the town.

"We shall perform the duty we were brought on to do," he said proudly as Cadence backed away with a nod. Shining placed a hoof on her as their horns touched and sparked with magic. A barrier soon formed and came down around them, encasing them with the crystal heart.

The sound of skittering and cheering broke the silence as the group's eyes turned to the edge of the city. The sky blackened and moved as dark clouds swirled in the sky. Lightning cut the air and booming thunder rattled the ground. There within the darkness, pulled by changelings came a pure black chariot. Upon it rode Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra.

"No," Shining Armor said to himself. "Not him again."

The furious darkness continued to swarm the sky, consuming any sunlight that once touched the ground. The empire became shrouded as the chariot began to descend. It drew closer and closer to the tower, bringing with it the cold air of despair. The clattering of hooves on the stone street came as the chariot landed and halted. Both queen and king stepped from their ride and focused on the crystal heart. Chrysalis' subjects soon fluttered and clamored around the two of them, hissing and chattering amongst themselves.

The only sound for the moment was the fluttering of changeling wings. The guards around Cadence and Shining Armor stood ready to defend them as Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra stood opposite of the court yard. It seemed as though the staring contest would drag on for decades before Chrysalis stepped forward a bit, watching the guards bristle and prepare to attack with a bemused smile.

"I was going to negotiate, however that doesn't seem an option," she said as her smile turned crooked. "Your highness, if you would."

Sombra growled low as he advanced towards the guards. Suddenly they took flight, soaring towards him. His horn sparked with power as a raging fire of energy came pouring out of his eyes. His hooves slammed onto the ground, turning it blacker than night. Crystals jutted up from the ground towards the guards as they attempted to assault the king. One by one the guards were trapped by the crystals, their strength being sapped.

All the fight was soon out of them as Sombra calmly walked towards the barrier of Shining Armor and Cadence. Baring his fangs, he glared at them before his face twisted into a smile. He mockingly tapped the barrier and began to circle them slowly.

"Seems strong," he said, letting a bit of a laugh follow his words. "I remember you well Crystal Princess. Your husband threw you at the crystal heart. You must have been quite cross being used as a mere javelin."

"We defeated the both of you once," Shining Armor said defiantly as he and Cadence continued to turn to keep him in sight. "We will defeat you both again."

Sombra erupted into deep laughter. "Look around you. Your kingdom is encased in changeling cocoons. Your subjects sit waiting to be used for their love of one another and their kingdom. Food for the horde. You lost the moment you and your Princess Celestia tried to send those idiot ponies to stop us."

"What have you done to Twilight!?" Cadence demanded angrily, getting nothing but a sneer out of Sombra.

"They have been dealt with," Sombra answered coldly. "More food for the queen's ever hungry horde. Perhaps they'll join too. Wouldn't that be the finest reunion?"

"I swear if you harm a hair on her!" Shining Armor cried out, his hooves stamping into the ground.

"What will you do tiny prince?" Sombra asked as his came closer to the barrier, his eyes glaring into Shining Armor's. A slow chortle came as he continued to circle the barrier.

"Are you quite finished posturing, Sombra?" Chrysalis asked, looking at her own hooves, clearly bored. "My subjects are hungry and I need the power from the crystal heart before Celestia decides she's going to show up and ruin everything."

"Of course, my queen," he said, giving Cadence and Shining a sidelong glance.

"There's no way you'll be able to break our barrier!" Cadence shouted as her horn glow brighter.

"It's so much more satisfying when you have to work for it a little," Chrysalis said as she licked her lips a bit. Her horn began to glow green as she approached. Sombra soon joined her side, his own horn bristling with magic. Cadence and Shining Armor both held each other as their horns glow brighter, the barrier around them expanding a little.

The dark clouds above began to churn and swirl around the Crystal Tower as both Sombra and Chrysalis approached the barrier. The changelings all suddenly took off, taking shelter from the immense power that charged the air. The energy of Sombra and Chrysalis took on a life of its own, forming into a slithering beam of magic that slammed into the barrier. Cadence and Shining Armor grunted, trying to hold onto the barrier and keep it stable.

The miasma of energy that slammed into the barrier sparked and moved unable to penetrate. Chrysalis and Sombra dug their hooves into the ground as the magic swirled violently around them. There was a crack from the barrier as they pushed. Another crack came as Shining Armor and Cadence both tried to hold onto the barrier and seal the cracks in the barrier.

Suddenly, Shining Armor buckled and the barrier shattered. Shining groaned, feeling the stinging pain in his body from earlier. He weakly looked to Cadence before being grabbed and hoisted into the air by changelings. Cadence in the mean time tried to fight them off but found it was no use, being taken into the air as well. The maelstrom died down as Chrysalis and Sombra's horns powered down.

Chrysalis then stepped forward towards the crystal heart, sneering at both Shining Armor and Cadence. It filled her wide eyes the closer she got to it, barely able to contain the desire to consume all of the love that was stored inside of the heart. She licked her lips again, the feeling of victory sweeping over her.

"My subjects shall feast once more," she said triumphantly as she lowered her head.

"No! Please don't!" Cadence pleaded, but found it was far too late.

Chrysalis plunged her horn deep into the crystal heart, the love flowing out like a punctured damn. It's power swept over Chrysalis, being absorbed into her horn. Her eyes widened as pure magical power began to fill them, creating wisps of pure power to form in her eyes. She suddenly retracted her horn and stumbled backwards. Changelings moved to her side to catch her before they were zapped and thrown away from her.

As her body sparked with pure power, she turned to Sombra with an intense grin.

"Now I know why you hid it," she said, her voice now booming. "This power is immense!"

"More than enough for Celestia when she arrives," Sombra said as Chrysalis nodded and turned to her subjects.

"The Crystal Empire has fallen," she proclaimed. "Rest well and feed deeply, my subjects. We will be expecting company!"

She motioned towards Shining Armor and Cadence. "As for these two, they shall join us in the throne room as entertainment."

The changelings carried both Shining Armor and Cadence into the tower, followed by Chrysalis and Sombra. The dark clouds above settled over the city once more as changelings took to the skies. Their eyes full of hunger and an entire buffet before them.

Author's Note:

This chapter has been sitting around for a while. I never found a pre-reader for it, nor an editor and I've been wanting to get it out. Made my own feeble attempt at both, though I'm certain it's fraught with errors. Still, enjoy.

Comments

[arcum42]

Alright, added to Twilight's Library.

[AppleBandit]

2525057

Cheers, mate.

[Estella Star]

Aww to bad this hasn't been updated for 7 years I would really like to see where the story goes